Sony WF-1000XM6 The Best Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds, Black

Why it's worth it

Sony's sixth-generation flagship pairs the strongest adaptive noise cancellation in the category with tuning done alongside mastering engineers. It's small, light, and works well across iPhone and Android — though the software has been bumpier than the hardware.

If noise cancellation is why you're shopping, this is the one. Sony's QN3e processor runs three times faster than the chip in the WF-1000XM5, and it feeds off eight microphones plus a second processor. Sony says the system adjusts noise-cancelling parameters thousands of times per second per ear, which is meant to catch the tiny seal shifts that happen when you chew, yawn or turn your head. Owners describe airplane cabin drone and office HVAC essentially disappearing.

The earbuds are genuinely small. At about half an ounce for the pair, they don't press on your outer ear the way bigger buds do, and Sony contours them with airflow channels to cut pressure points. Several owners note the ear tips aren't standard silicone — they're a grippier rubber that holds position better. That matters more than it sounds. Wirecutter's long-term testing found a proper tip seal adds up to 10 dB of passive isolation before noise cancelling even kicks in.

From our review of 8 wireless earbuds, by David Sinclair, Managing Editor

What we like

• +If noise cancellation is why you're shopping, this is the one
• +The earbuds are genuinely small
• +Call quality holds up in places where cheap buds fall apart
• +The tuning leans warm, and that's a real choice

What to know

• –The software has been the weak spot
• –Battery is fine, not exceptional